Heart Patients Experience Improved Quality of Life with Palliative Care

Since 1964, February has been designated as American Heart Month. With heart disease the leading cause of death in the United States, American Heart Month aims to help prevent the disease by encouraging everyone to adopt a healthy lifestyle

While prevention of heart disease and reducing the number of new diagnoses are important, nearly half of Americans already have some type of heart illness. Palliative care can ease symptoms, stress and improve quality of life for those who are living with a heart illness.

How palliative care helps heart patients

Palliative care is specialized medical care that helps control symptoms of serious illness such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, congestive heart failure, or other heart-related illness. You can have palliative care at any age and at any stage of your illness. You can receive palliative care together with curative treatment.

Heart disease patients often suffer from chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, anxiety and depression. Our palliative care specialists work to reduce these symptoms and ease stress so that patients and their loved ones experience improved quality of life.

Palliative care manages your symptoms to reduce trips to the emergency room and admissions to the hospital. If you are admitted, palliative care reduces your time spent in the hospital. In doing so, palliative care reduces medical costs and keeps you at home where you are most comfortable.

Additional benefits of Palliative Care for heart patients

Our palliative care clinicians are there to help you and your loved ones navigate through the distresses of your disease. We will coordinate your care, keeping you, your family, and your doctors informed and on the same page every step of the way. We will be there for you and your family as you consider treatment options. We will aid you in making informed decisions about what is best for you and guide you through the complex health care system.

Your team will discuss your personal goals and help you achieve those goal while living with heart disease. We understand that every patient and family are different, and we will develop an individualized plan that centers around what is most important to you and your loved ones.

We can also discuss your disease and prognosis to help you make decisions about your advance care wishes. We can help you document your wishes to ensure they are followed, which will help reduce stress and uncertainty for your loved ones in the case of an emergency.

You’ll get expert care and support

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare is the area’s expert in palliative care. We have been providing inpatient palliative care to local hospitals for more than a decade. A few years ago, Lower Cape Fear LifeCare started providing palliative care to people with serious and chronic illnesses in their own home, or wherever they call home. We have also partnered with the Zimmer Cancer Center at New Hanover Regional Medical Center to open a clinic for patients within the center, and with Columbus Regional Health Systems to provide services within the Donayre Cancer Center. As more doctors and health organizations are recommending palliative care for their patients with serious illness, our palliative care service continues to grow.

Caregiver Support

We understand that being a caregiver to someone with a serious illness can be exhausting and challenging. As a caregiver, you may feel overwhelmed and experience stress, anxiety or depression. You may also neglect some of your own needs. Our clinicians can offer ways and resources to help you take care of yourself while taking care of your loved one.

I’m ready to improve quality of life for me or my loved one – what’s next?

Call us at 800-207-6908 or visit our website: lifecare.org. We’ll be happy to lead you through the process of getting palliative care in your own home, or wherever you call home. Together, we can ease your symptoms and stress to offer you and your family improved quality of life.

Unsure which care is right for you or your loved one? Take our short quiz to help you determine whether palliative or hospice care may be appropriate to help improve quality of life for you and your loved ones.